Are Certification books crap?

[SSGoku]

I've went to a computer school which was a complete waste of money! Cost me $10,000 and I learned nothing. The classes were too short. The instructor did know what he was talking about but I think the schools are nothing more than scams. I was wondering what is the best way to get knowledge to being certified. I read the microsoft MCSE training kit many times and I do horrible on the practice tests.

I'd appreciate it if I get a post.

Thanks.

Alex.

 

[Stiddy]

The best way to do it is to just practice, practice. Get a couple of old machines and network them at home. Go through each lab and step by step perform to commands and fuctions in your own network. NEED MORE EXPERIENCE? Go volunteer somewhere just to keep your skills up. Remember, certification just gets you in the door, real knowledge is shown after you are hired. You don't just want to memeorize a bunch of questions to pass the test and get certified, believe me when I say, you will be much more valuable when you can put out the fire, not just know how to grab the hose. HTH - MIke

 

[garwain]

MSCE books are great (just don't depend on reading them once and going to take a test).

When I was in college I would flip through one of the different books each time I was in the bookstore. (didn't have the money to buy one at the time). I'm planning on purchasing a couple of the books to start training myself (just don't want to buy one now and then have an obsolete stack of paper when I get a change to actually read it).

The main thn as Stiddy said is you need to practice. My general approach to this kind of training manual is

1) read a section
2) highlite important/interesting sections
3) re-read the section going through any step-by-step on a real computer/network
4) mark and re-read any sections you didn't understand
5) go for a coffee/beer/whatever
6) get on the net and read up from additional sources on the information you didn't understand
7) re-read the confusing parts again and see if you now understand (repeat 5&6 as necessary)
8) repeat 1-7 for a few more sections
9) another break
10) re-read the highlighted and difficult sections again
11) get a good nights sleep
12) take a practice test to see how much you remember.

I've found this method of studying works quite well. I've been through several programming manuals like that and a few os and networking manuals. I'll actually be trying it out on MSCE this summer when I'm on vacation.

 

[guava65]

I agree with Stiddy. What really counts is real world experience.

I was a systems and telecom consultant for many years and changed my main business about 5 years ago. Since then, my old customers still call on me for advice and instruction. In most cases, they are coming to me becuase other services, certified or otherwise, were not able to fix their problem or, more importantly, educate them enough so they would not make the same mistake again.

Even after so many years being "out" of the business. The practicle knowledge I gained over the years is worth more to customers than any certification. So, even if you get certified, you'll still have to practice, practice, practice.

If you really want to build strong customer loyalty, you should gain some knowledge of business management. Selling and repairing computers is one thing, being able to explain the effects quality hardware or software will have on a business operation is another. Being able to comprehensively layout operational benefits for soft/hardware for "real" business can be the difference between $$,$$$.00 and $$$,$$$.00

Good Luck!

Good luck Mahalo,
cg

 

[pbxman]

Amen guava and Stiddy as well.

Nothing can beat practice, practice, practice. I "only" have A+ certification. Thats it. No MCP, no MCSE, no CCNA, no CCIE.

I've always learned better on my own. The key difference between the "guru" and the "average admin" all comes down to resources. Im sure we're all smart enough here to be the best, and tackle whatever problem comes up eventually...but being able to quickly find precise information aiding in a problem is paramount in upper-level positions. I cant stress this enough. USE the internet for your information..somewhere, somehow - someone most likely has dealt with whatever problem any of us would encounter...being able to find the solution quickly is key. Learn from it - and I believe if you have the right mindset, you will learn more effectively than reading any droning blah, blah book. Believe me..when an entire network is down, and you finally figure out why...you're not gonna forget that. The books are meant (as stiddy said) to aim you in the direction of the cause of a problem. If you understand the problem - you can more effectively implement a solution. Knowing a range of solutions is what will get you to a "normal admin" status..being able to pinpoint quickly, and eliminate the possible other solutions is what makes you one sharp cookie. There are problems where you cant "guess" what is wrong, and try a range of solutions because it will adversly affect operations - for that you need experience, and practice.
The difference between a paper MCSE, and "real" MCSE is experience. MCSE's with are not as highly regarded as they used to be - too many good test-takers with questions memorized got past, and choked in the real-world.

Personally, I dont think any certification test is worthy of assessing one's skills..its great for a baseline, but dont count on it to prepare you for what is ahead. People are expecting you to know a lot more than what was on your MCSE test. You need to know COMPUTERS, and NETWORKING -not just Microsoft products. Ever seen a Microsoft router?..an MS Switch? You get my idea..

..just my 2¢ pbxman
Systems Administrator

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